The English language has developed over centuries into a language family of World Englishes. A group of students from the Department of English and American Studies, together with linguist Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Wolf, traveled to Nigeria from October 5 to 21, 2017, to take a closer look at these language varieties. Their journey took them to Ibadan, the capital city of the federal state of Oyo.
The group was hosted by Prof. Herbert Igboanusi, an internationally renowned linguist who has made essential contributions to the establishment of Nigerian English as an independent variety. The students are particularly interested in the linguistic actualization of West African cultural concepts. To this end, the participants are planning to conduct smaller studies on English language usage in selected domains of public and cultural life. In addition to fieldwork in sociolinguistics and cultural studies, there will also be meetings with students and scholars at the University of Ibadan. In addition, the students want to meet with the writer and linguist Kola Tubosun, who is an expert on Yoruba, the region’s most widely spoken language.
Text: Hans-Georg Wolf/Matthias Zimmermann
Translation: Dr. Lee Holt
Published online by: Agnetha Lang
Contact the online editorial office: onlineredaktionuuni-potsdampde